- From: mb <hibou@cybercable.fr>
- Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 23:16:12 +0200
- To: www-svg@w3.org
Hello, I wished to know whether your specification provided for the creation of vectors which describe other vectors (for instance, the description of a circle which is then re-used in the description of various ellipses, etc.). In relation to your request for comments on the description of fonts and the transfer mode of this information, can you describe fonts as simply another graphics category (a set of shapes represented by the curves and lines which make up the characters of a given alphabet)? This could have the advantage of a smoother evolution in future standards for information exchange, since each new standard could move dynamically from a computer's optimal internal representation of information (e.g. depending on the alphabet(s) it uses -say cryllic or cryllic and arab, in order to be able to use an encoding more efficient than Unicode, though it could then easily be mapped to the latter) to an optimal representation for a LAN, then a WAN, then the whole internet- a "bottom-up" approach to new standardisation. If you think of human societies, even those speaking the same (common) language find each subset developing their own specialized versions best suited to their own professional/personal cicrumstance (e.g. medical/legal terminology, a married couple referring to experiences common only to them, etc). This enables each subgroup to have a language optimal with respect to their needs/particular knowledge (cognisant capacity), while balancing this with the capacity to understand other subgroups via the language common to everyone in the general group. Information communities should work the same way; each subgroup should adopt as general or as specific a form of a general standard as is optimal with respect to the nature of the informaitn with which they are used to treat, as much in terms of future graphics as with present day language (already done, e.g. with the terms each technical field uses, etc.). I was also curious as to the typical compression performance of the graphic standard your group proposes, as well as the anticipated timeline for the new versions of programs (e.g. browsers) in widespread use to incorporate it (e.g. by the end of the year?). Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Marc A. P. Bernstein hibou@cybercable.fr
Received on Thursday, 10 June 1999 17:15:27 UTC